LIBERTY, Mo. — Labor shortages have been hard all around the metro, and now the struggle to hire has hit some fall favorites, too.
Carolyn’s Pumpkin Patch in Liberty sprawls 90 acres. Carolyn Raasch, the owner, says to pull off this season, they’ve had to hire more young people than ever before.
“I’m seeing pretty good attendance, and I’m glad,” Raasch said. “Pumpkins? Yes, everybody’s got to have a pumpkin.”
Raasch says she’s still waiting before fully opening a few more food vendors on the farm.
“We’re definitely having trouble finding enough employees to man all the different places,” she said.
So this year, she’s lowered the age requirement.
“I’ve only hired 15-year-olds before, we even went down to 14-year-olds this year because they seem [to be] the ones who are very eager to come to work,” Raasch said.
Sean Kephart is one of them.
“I’m 15 years old,” Kephart said. “I just love doing it — talking to all the people who visit us. We just go together, have a process and get it done.”
But still, Raasch says she needs more than a dozen new hires and attributes it to COVID-19 uncertainty.
“I’ve even added a bonus for people who keep all their shifts until the end of the season, which is something I’ve never done before,” Raasch said. “But I can’t afford for somebody to be gone.”
Entry jobs at the farm start at $10.50 an hour.
To apply online, click here.
